Pumping means



Oct. 22, 1968 J. w. OLSON, JR

PUMP I NG MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15, 1966 INVENTOR John William OIson,Jr

ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 J. w. OLSON, JR

PUMPING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1966 INVENTOR John William 0lson,Jr.

BY /M M ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 J. w. OLSON, JR

PUMPING MEANS 4 Sheet-Sheet 3- John William Olson,Jr.

BY M

ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 J. w. OLSON, JR

PUMP ING MEANS 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 15, 1966 INVENTOR FIG. l

. John William Olson,Jr.

ATTORNEYS- United States Patent 3,406,636 PUMPING MEANS John William Olson, Jr., 1936 NW. 17th, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73106 Filed Aug. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 572,370 9 Claims. (Cl. 103--157) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A pump with a single pumping piston with axially opposed piston heads having combined reciprocation and rotation within a cylinder having a central drive shaft, the cylinder having head closures and annular suction and exhaust chambers at each end controlled by inlet and outlet valves, the piston being formed around the exterior surface with a groove disposed at an angle with respect to the center axis of the piston, said groove serving to mount a bearing collar around which is mounted a yoke with a connecting universally mounted shank means to permit oscillation and drive means for imparting oscillation to the shank, to thereby impart reciprocation and rotation of the piston within the cylinder to provide a pump for continuous operation at high speed at relatively high piston loads.

The present invention relates generally to pumping means and particularly to positive displacement reciprocating piston type pumps, compressors, internal combustion engines, pneumatic motors and the like.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of pumps, compressors or the like, whereby optimum reduction in overall size and weight without sacrifice of efficiency of operation is attained.

Another object is to provide a novel simply constructed and durable pumping unit made to have trouble free life during prolonged continuous operation at high speed and at relatively high piston loads.

Still another object is to provide a novel lubricating system for piston type pumps and compressors of the class described.

Yet another more specific object is to provide a novel gas compressor for automobile air conditioning systems, whereby the overall compactness and light weight of the compressor unit simplifies and reduces the costs of mounting the same under the hood of a motor vehicle with respect to the automobile engine and the drive belts and pulleys to the drive shaft of the compressor for operation thereof by the automobile engine.

Still another object is to provide a novel piston and piston rings adapted to contract to permit gas to blow by the piston when head pressure is high, to thereby prevent pulley slippage and resonance or sing in the drive belt and pulley connections.

Still another object is to provide a novel method of achieving piston reciprocation by yoke means in place of the usual less durable cam track and follower means of the prior art.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as my invention is fully understood, the same resides in the novelty of construction, combination and arrangement of elements hereinafter described in detail and distinctly summarized in the appended claims.

The following description should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like characters Patented Oct. 22, 1968 of reference designate like or similar elements throughout the several views.

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of an embodiment of the invention with the power pulley and clutch assembly removed;

FIGURE 2 is a view in front elevation of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal cross section view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2, showing the drive pulley and clutch assembly mounted thereon and with the central drive shaft in elevation;

FIGURE 4 is a quasi-schematic longitudinal cross section superimposing the details of the partial longitudinal cross section taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 onto the longitudinal cross section taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2 in order to fully define the entire lubricant circuit in the present invention and turned to show the location of the discharge and intake ports within the front and rear heads with respect to the outer housing outlet and inlet ports;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section view taken on section line 55 of FIGURE 3 transversely through the rear head of the unit;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section view taken along section line 66 of FIGURE 3 showing the oscillating yoke and lubricating means operatively associated therewith;

FIGURE 7 is a cross section view taken along section line 77 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 8 is a cross section view taken along section line 88 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is a cut-away cross section view taken on section line 9-9 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary view to show a modification of the ball race and key arrangement shown in FIGURE 3 between the piston and the drive shaft of the unit for reciprocating and rotating movement of the piston during operation;

FIGURE 11 is a partial view of a modification of the drive shaft, whereby the same has a polygon cross section and wherein a piston thereon is made with a mating polygon bore with a tolerance therebetween suitable for holding an oil film under load demand; and

FIGURE 12 is another arrangement for mounting the piston ring means in the piston.

Referring to the drawings in detail and first with particular reference to FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, the device consists of a shell-like housing 10 which may have mounting brackets at each end, said housing comprising half sections 11 and 12 and front and rear heads 13 and 14-, respectively, at opposite ends of the sectional housing 10. The housing sections are formed with annular flanges or rims 15 and 16 adapted to fit together to provide a sealed joint 17 midway of the housing. Each section has an enlarged bulge on one side to provide an oil sump 19 and each respective section at opposed ends of the housing 10 is flanged inwardly to define an opening each of which receives its adjacent annular portion 20 and 21 of respective front and rear heads 13 and 14 of the housing.

The front head 13 is formed with a forward main roller bearing mount 22 provided with a relatively large bore 23 with respect to a smaller bore 24 in which an intermediate portion of a drive shaft 26 is journalled in a main bearing 27 within the front end of the housing 10.

The shaft 26 at the front end in the head 13 is stepped down into relatively smaller sections 29 and 30 for mounting rotary shaft fluid seal 33 and retainer ring 34; and a 3 still further reduced section 31 with the terminal end thereof formed with threads 32 for a suitable nut 35 serving to secure a clutch assembly 37 and a belt driven pulley 38 in position on the forward end of the main drive shaft 26, see FIGURE 3.

The front head 13 within the front part of the housing is further formed with an annular intermediate wall 40 to provide radially spaced concentric annular chambers 41 and 42. These chambers are respectively suction and exhaust chambers and are contiguous to a valve plate 44 with arcuate suction openings 45, and arcuate exhaust openings 47 over which are suitably mounted reed suction valve means 49 and discharge reed valve means 51, see FIGURES 7, 8 and 9. In spaced relation adjacent the discharge reed valve means is positioned a stop ring 53, see FIGURE 3, to regulate the extent of the reed valve movement. Also, leading from the inner suction chamber 41 at each end of the unit is an outlet connection 54, see FIGURES 1 and 3.

The rim 55 of the reed valve plate 44 is engaged or seated on each peripheral face thereof between and against lands or shoulders 56 and 57 of the peripheral rim of front head 13 and the peripheral rim and end of a cylinder 60. The driving shaft 26 extends centrally through the cylinder 60 and is journalled in the rear head 14 in a main bearing 61 at a reduced end 62 thereof and also at this end mounts a valve plate 65 and suction reed valve means 63 and discharge reed valve means 64, substantially identical to the valve plate and reed valve means at the front end of the cylinder. The shaft 26 is relatively larger in diameter between the respective valve plates 44 and 65 in the provision of oppositely facing annular shoulders 67 and 68 for seating thrust bearings 69 and 70, respectively to seal and hold the shaft at these points.

Within the cylinder 60 on the relatively larger part 71 of shaft 26 is mounted a piston 72. This piston is spaced from the shaft by a bearing sleeve 73 bounded at each end by piston bushings 75 and 76 seated in countersunk recesses 78 and 79 formed, respectively, in each opposed head portion 80 and 81 of the piston. Each piston head includes a piston ring 82 and 83, respectively, in sealing relation to the bore of the cylinder 60.

The piston 72 is mounted on the driving shaft 26 so that .it both rotates and reciprocates inside the cylinder 60 and is keyed or suitably held to the shaft for example, by suitable key means, such as spaced balls 84 in spaced bearing guides or races 85 formed in the shaft 26 and extending through similar concavo-convex bearing races 86 in the piston bearing sleeve 73, see FIGURE 6.

The center section of the double headed piston 72 is formed with a groove disposed at an angle with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the piston to provide a collar bearing 89. This collar bearing 89 is fitted with a sectional collar 90 of a yoke 91 comprising a hollow shank 95 to which is afiixed a ball 93 embraced by a receiving shoe 94 and a bearing cup 92 to form a universal bearing, see FIGURE 6. The bottom wall of the universal bearing cup 92 is fitted centrally with a check valve 102 within the confines of the sump 19 which co-acts with a second check valve 103 aligned with the bore in the hollow shank 95.

.The collar 90 of the yoke 91 is secured around the yoke collar bearing 89 by suitable means, such as bolts 97 and 98. The hollow shank 95 is formed with a longitudinal oil duct 100 and the ball 93 of the universal hearing is formed with a cylindrical chamber 101 opening into the sump 19 of the housing 10, and has mounted in the bore of the chamber, the second check valve 103, to provide for sequential passage of lubricant from the sump 19 through the respective check valves 102 and 103 through the oil duct 100 to the collar bearing and into the oil ducts of the main shaft 26, see FIGURE 3.

Any method for providing adequate lubrication may be employed but the arrangement illustrated utilizes the oscillating motion of the collar bearing 93 and yoke 91 attached to the collar bearing. Thus as the piston 72 rotates and reciprocates the yoke 91 oscillates around the center line of the collar bearing 89 and the movement of the center axis of the collar bearing 89 is in a straight line that corresponds to the axis of the shaft 26 rather than in an are around the center line of the bearing 93. Hence, the collar bearing 93 and yoke 91 reciprocate slightly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 26. By the use of the spaced check valves 102 and 103 this oscillating motion is used to pump oil under the pressure desired from the sump 19 to the various bearing areas along the shaft 26 in the unit and then back to the oil supply tank or sump 19, As believed clear, oil is forced first into the hollow shank oil duct and from there to the spherical bearing 93 and shoe 94 in the cup 92 of the universal bearing, then to the collar bearing 89, then through the piston directed ports 105 and'106, see FIGURES 3 and 4 to the clearance between the piston 72 and the part 71 of main shaft 26, then down the shaft through ducts 107, 108 and 109 to the main bearings 27 and 61 and thrust bearings'69 and 70, and through return ducts 110 and 111 to the sump 19, see FIGURE 4.

Since the piston 72 rides on the part 71 of shaft 26 and does not touch the walls of cylinder 60, piston rings such as 82 and 83 are required. These may either float in the piston ring grooves as generally shown in FIG- URES 3 and 4, or may be split rings anchored at one end to rotate with the piston, see FIGURE 12. In the latter case no static ring tension against the cylinder is required since centrifugal force will provide the necessary ring to cylinder pressure. In fact, if when used as a compressor the rpm. is reduced below the efiecti-ve point and head pressure is high as is sometimes the case in traflic conditions when installed in an automobile air conditioning system, the rings should preferably contract to allow gas to blow by the piston to avoid drive belt slippage and resulting belt sing.

The device illustrated, for example, functions as a two cylinder compressor, and most automobile air conditioning compressors are two cylinder units. A main disadvantage with such units is considered to reside in the high torque peak loads during the starting rotational cycle of the units. This may be reduced somewhat in this device by a modification of the ball races, that is by curving the ball races 85a slightly either in the shaft 26a or in the piston bearing sleeve'73 or in both to allow the piston 72 to trail the shaft a few degrees as it approaches the end of its stroke, see FIGURE 10. This will provide some mechanical advantage where it is needed and thus the resultant disadvantage of such high torque peak loads is overcome by gas reexpansion. Also, the oil pump is not consuming any power when gas is being compressed in the unit.

Thus, the present novel device has particular merit for application as a refrigeration compressor for automobile air conditioning systems because of its small overall size and light weight. Thus, for example, this application is made to facilitate installation of the device to an automobile engine, so that this results in a reduction in cost of brackets, belts, and pulleys for installation.

In operation gas enters the top of the compressor housing through the suction fitting in intake opening 112, see FIGURE 1, and passes through ports to the inner annular type suction chambers 41 in each head 13 and 14. Valve plates 44 and 65 with the suction check valve means 49 of the reed type allow the gas to enter the cylinder 60 at each end as the double headed piston 72 retracts rela tive to the suction reed valve means 49 in operation. As the piston 72 moves toward the valve plate 44 or 65 as the case may be on the compression stroke creating a pressure in the cylinder60 greater than the discharge pressure, the discharge reed valve means 51 affected lift ofl its seat against stop ring 53 and allows gasto move through the valve plate ports 47 into its operatively associated outer annular type discharge chamber 42. From there the gas moves out of the compressor through the housing discharge ports 54 and fittings into the discharge line or into a surge tank or muflier, not shown, as required by the nature of the particular installation.

A modification of the mounting between the drive shaft section 71 and the piston bearing means 73 is illustrated in FIGURE 11. For example, as stated the piston 72 is mounted to move axially on the drive shaft 26, but the piston must be held rotationally to the shaft. This may be accomplished by several means, for example, by providing a drive shaft 261) with a polygon cross section and a bearing sleeve 73b and piston 72b with corresponding cross sectional polygon bores having a tolerance between piston and shaft suitable for holding a necessary oil film under load demand. Of course, the bearing sleeve 73b may be omitted depending upon the characteristics of the material of the piston 72b.

Thus there is provided a novel pumping means with reciprocating piston means, whereby in place of the usual cam means previously employed, a collar or yoke connection is used providing a relatively greater bearing surface area to distribute the mean pressure imposed on the ends of the piston means and also whereby continuous operation at high speed at relatively high piston loads will have a trouble free life of several thousand hours of such continued operation.

Without further description it is believed that the advantages of the present invention over the prior art is apparent and while only three embodiments of the same are illustrated, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto as various changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of the parts illustrated, as will now likely appear to others and those skilled in the art. For a definition of the scope or limits of the invention, reference should be had to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A compressor for gaseous fluids or the like comprising a cylinder, a piston with opposed compression heads, a piston driving shaft extending concentrically through said cylinder, said piston and said shaft having securing means to rotationally hold said piston to said shaft and permit limited axial movement along said shaft for a distance substantially equal to a predetermined length of pis. ton stroke, a collar bearing formed in an intermediate portion of said piston at a predetermined angle to the respective axes of said piston and said shaft, a yoke having a collar mounted on said intermediate angled bearing portion of said piston, a hollow shank extending radially outward from said angled collar, said shank at the opposite end of said shank being fixed in a universal joint for oscillation perpendicularly with respect to the said respective piston and shaft axes as said piston is rotated with said shaft and caused to move axially on said shaft and reciprocate in said cylinder.

2. A compressor as described in claim 1, wherein said securing means between said piston and said driving shaft, comprises a bearing sleeve with interior guide races positioned in alignment with similar guide races in said shaft and follower means in connection with said guide races of said sleeve and said shaft.

3. A compressor as described in claim 2, wherein said respective guide races are curved and said follower means is a ball.

4. A compressor as described in claim 1, wherein said shaft securing means to rotationally hold said piston on the shaft, comprises an intermediate section of said shaft of polygon shape in cross section and said piston is formed with a corresponding polygon bore sufliciently larger than the exterior polygon section of said shaft to provide tolerance therebetween to hold a film of oil.

5. Drive means for motors with reciprocating piston means, said piston means being mounted on a driven shaft journalled to extend concentrically in a cylinder, said piston means being formed with an angular bearing surface, a collar on said surface journalled to turn on said bearing surface, said collar having a shank extending therefrom with a universal joint connection below the axis of said shaft.

6. Drive means for motors with reciprocating piston means described in claim 5, wherein said shaft is driven by pulley drive means and wherein said piston means comprises opposed piston heads and each head includes normally expansible piston rings contractible responsive to starting inertia imparted from said pulley drive means to the said shaft.

7. An engine comprising a cylinder, a piston with opposed compression heads, a piston driving shaft extending concentrically through said cylinder, said piston and said shaft having securing means to rotationally hold said piston to said shaft and permit limited axial movement along said shaft for a distance substantially equal to a predetermined length of piston stroke, a collar bearing formed in an intermediate portion of said piston at a predetermined angle to the respective axes of said piston and said shaft, a yoke with a shank, said yoke including a collar mounted on said intermediate angular bearing portion of said piston, said shank extending radially outwardly from said collar, said shank at the opposite end being fixed in a universal joint for oscillation perpendicularly with respect to the said respective piston and shaft axes as said piston is rotated with said shaft and caused to move axially on said shaft and reciprocate in said cylinder.

8. Pumping means for fluid comprising a housing with inlet and outlet ports, a pump at the bottom of said hous ing, head closure means in the housing at each end thereof, a fluid compression cylinder concentrically mounted in the housing, annular suction and exhaust chambers with connection to said inlet and outlet ports formed around the interior of each of said head means, said head means having their interiors aligned and joined with the respective opposite ends of said cylinder, suction and exhaust valve means mounted between each end of the said cylinder adjacent said suction and exhaust chambers of said respective head means, rotatable shaft means extending centrally through said cylinder and said head means, bearing means for journalling said shaft means in said head means at each end of the housing, piston means secured to an intermediate portion of said shaft means adapted to both rotate and reciprocate in said cylinder, said piston means having compression heads on opposite ends thereof for actuation of said valve means to pump fluid from said annular chambers in and out of said inlet and outlet ports of the housing, and drive means for rotating said shaft and reciprocating said piston within the said cylinder; said mid-portion of said piston being formed with an angular bearing portion and said drive means including an oscillatable yoke including a collar and a hollow shank, said collar encircling said angular bearing portion and said shank terminating into a universal ball mounted in said sump having a chamber in alignment with and opening into the bore of said hollow shank, and check valve means mounted in the chamber of said ball adapted to pump lubricant from said sump into the hollow shank and along the said shaft during oscillation of said yoke as said piston is rotated and reciprocated on said shaft in the said cylinder.

9. Pumping means for fluid comprising a housing with inlet and outlet ports, head closure means in the housing at each end thereof, a fluid compression cylinder concen trically mounted in the housing annular suction and exhaust chambers with connection to said inlet and outlet ports formed around the interior of each of said head means, said head means having their interiors aligned and joined with the respective opposite end of said cylinder, suction and exhaust valve means mounted between each end of said cylinder adjacent said suction and exhaust chambers of said respective head means, rotatable shaft means extending centrally through said cylinder and said head means for journaling said shaft means in said head means at each end of the housing, piston means secured to an intermediate portion of said shaft means adapted to both rotate and reciprocate in said cylinder, said piston having compression heads on opposite ends thereof for actuation of said valve means to pump fluid from said annular chambers in and out of said valve means to pump fluid from said annular chambers in and out of said inlet and outlet ports of the housing and drive means for rotating said shaft and reciprocating said piston within said cylinder, said drive means including a belt driven sheave and a clutch to impart rotation to said shaft means, a yoke with a collar bearing and a shank portion angularly mounted intermediate of said piston, said yoke and bearing being non-rotatable, to thereby impart reciprocation of the piston along the said shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HENRY F. RADUAZO, Primary Examiner. 

